Chapter 9

Pre-Reading Activity/Question:

• Brainstorm a list of things Eli Millstone and his supporters could do to scare people into voting for him. (In the last chapter, there was a mysterious problem with the names and addresses the campaign has collected. In this chapter, the Carbingers harass Hope while she's getting signatures. In future chapters, houses are robbed, Braverman is attacked, a couple is hired to pretend a mouse was in their food at the diner, etc.)

Vocabulary:

• administrator pg. 78
• accost pg. 80
• campaign contributor pg. 85
• influence
• manipulate

Reading Lesson Topics:

Keeping Track of Story Plot

• At this point in the novel, the storyline of G.T.'s campaign and health becomes important and complicated. As students read Chapter 9, they can use the Positive/Negative Chart as a way to keep track of the events in the novel that relate to this storyline. The teacher can model with the the events from previous chapters. Students will revisit this activity during Chapter 11.

• How do the mayor's reactions to questions about the dairy farm make the reader suspicious?
• An important line from this chapter is "When hope gets released in a place, all kinds of things are possible." How does this quote apply to the story?